Wishful heart
by shir0usagi
Summary: Juvia is a lonely young princess who will soon have to rule her kingdom, Agrabah. But when she meets Gray Fullbuster, a commoner who's anything but common, her life was bound to change. What happens when it's the princess who ends up with the lamp instead of the street rat? [Genie AU - Gruvia] Side pairings: Nalu, Gajevy
1. Chapter 1

_**AN:** Yo! So I've had this fic drafted for about three months now, but I wanted to have a few chapters finished before publishing it. Thing is, I didn't have enough time to write that far ahead, but then I though this WIP got enough dust waiting in my documents, so here it is! This is my first time writing an AU. Quite the setting I chose but well, the idea stuck on my mind and wouldn't leave haha. Anywho, I hope you like it._

* * *

**Prologue**

Heels sank in the golden sand as the young man dragged his way through the desert, the clinging sound of his sheath breaking the silence at each step. It hadn't been a good day, if a yet again failed attempt to clear a dungeon and several more miles to boot until he reached the city were anything to go by. The only thing he could consider pleasant in the last few hours would be the soft breeze that brushed on his sweaty skin as the late day sun merged with the horizon.

"Damn, I can't find my flask." Gray looked over his shoulder at the pink haired man that lumbered a few meters behind, searching frantically in his pouch.

"You must have lost it when I flew you back on the surface." a blur of blue muttered, flying around his head.

"And I'm so thirsty…"

"I'm sorry Natsu…"

"Remind me why you two tagged along?" he huffed.

"Had nothing else to do. I thought we would get to kick some monster butts or something." The man with the pink hair replied.

Gray scoffed. There were monsters some times, he had fought many. But before they could actually run upon one, Happy – the flying blue blur, which was in fact a small cat that now soared past his head– decided to ignore his order to not touch anything, which resulted in the place collapsing with them barely making their way out, thus losing any chance there was to slay a dungeon monster. And finding _it_. What Gray had been searching with such vigor for years. And he was running short of patience.

"Maybe next time we find one–" Happy started.

"There ain't gonna be next time. I won't take you with me again." He stopped walking and spoke again before Natsu could protest, "It's your fault. Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?"

"But that ruby seemed so precious! I could buy fish for a lifetime with it…"

He slapped his palm on his face in exasperation. _What a significant reason indeed. _

"Chill man, it's not such a big deal." Natsu said.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "I'm not doing this for fun." They stared at each other for a charged moment, Natsu barely shrugging at his glare. He sighed, running his hand through his raven hair; what's done was done and there was no point venting on them now. "Anyway. Let's get going. We should be back before nightfall if we hurry."

And with that, he kept walking ahead.

* * *

**chapter 1**

Agrabah was like a bead of heaven in the middle of the desert, albeit only for those who could afford it. A long time ago though, the older ones still remembered, it suffered from an endless drought, breeding disease and poverty among its people. Until, seventeen years ago, the Sultan and his wife gave birth to a girl with hair brighter than sapphire and, as of a miracle, the rain returned to Agrabah, granting its former prosperity and beyond. They named their girl Juvia, in honor to the rain she brought back to the city.

Unfortunately, the Sultan and his wife died on a bandit assault during their travel to a neighbor country when Juvia was no older than 4 years old. From that day on, the girl was raised under the custody of vizier Jose, the former advisor of the late Sultan. The man governed the city until Juvia would be of a convenient age to take over as the Sultan's only heiress.

Jose took good care of her all those years, Juvia had no doubt. She was taught by the best tutors of the continent and she had the world on a silver platter but she had soon grown bored of it all. For she had never been outside the palace. No one beyond these walls knew what she looked like or what her name really was; everyone (sometimes even Jose himself) called her _the rain princess_, or_ rain woman_ now that she was drawing closer to maturity. And likewise, she had no idea how the outside world looked like. Master Jose said it was full of slickers that were after her unique power, and for that reason he insisted that she was safer within the palace, the prison she called home. But she wanted to see with her own eyes. It couldn't be all there was to the outside world. Sometimes she wished she could just be ordinary, free of noble titles or powers. Don't get her wrong, she was more than glad to know that she had brought hope and happiness back to her people, but she couldn't fathom following the same insufferably boring routine for the rest of her life. She was still very young and starved for a bit of adventure.

Carried away by her train of thought, she hadn't noticed she was already standing behind the door of the dining hall, where she would have her ordinary dinner with Master Jose and the rest of the counselors. She heaved out a sigh and pushed on the door leafs. The others were already there.

"Good evening." She said forcing a smile as she took a seat to his left.

The man smiled back at her. "Good evening child. How are you doing today?"

_Hardly any different than the previous days. _"Good. Thank you for asking, Master."

"Is that so?" Jose leaned forward, crossing his fingers. "Bora-kun left quite disappointed, you know."

Right. That was another part of her routine she would happily dismiss. As she would soon turn eighteen, Master Jose said it was time she got married, so several groom candidates, princes of neighbor sultanates, would come over to meet her, and hopefully agree on a wedding. The thing is, Juvia scared all of them away. And she would be lying if she said she cared.

She stirred in her seat, pretending to make herself more comfortable. "Juvia didn't like him. He was boring." A total asshat if she might add. "And he didn't like Juvia either, so there was no point pretending the opposite."

"It's so sad! Our princess is unappealing and no one wants to marry her… So sad…" Aria, one of Jose's underlings, mumbled between sobs as tears streamed down his face, which was quite usual of him for some reason she hadn't managed to decode yet. She crossed her arms under her chest; she was well aware of her gloomy aura, but hearing it from others still hurt despite her consent.

Jose stood up and walked behind her chair. "My dear girl, I think that you should be a little more reciprocative…more feminine. Why don't you try smiling a little?" He said, pushing at the edge of her lips upwards into resembling a smile. "And refrain from talking in third person like children do."

That was a habit she had adopted early on; since she had no friends to address her by her name, she did it herself because she liked the sound of it. But apparently it was one of the several things that made her unattractive. She sighed.

The man leaned over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know it might not be pleasant to you right now, but it's your duty as a princess. How are you going to rule over Agrabah without being married?"

"But why this way?" Juv– I want to marry out of love."

She heard a snort beside her ear, followed by a load of laughter across the table.

"Love she says!" Jose plopped on his seat, still laughing and she felt her eyes hurt as she tried not to cry. What was so funny about it anyway?

"Child, what comes first is to do as the law says and marry a prince before your next birthday. You can fall in love with your husband all you want afterwards."

"It…doesn't have to be in this order if you let Juvia go outside." she said in a low voice.

"That cannot happen." He said, his tone firm and his expression sharpened. "We've discussed this, the world is not a safe place for you, child. Remember what happened to your parents. They died when they left the safety of the palace. Do you have any idea how many outsiders envy your –"

"Power to make it rain, Juvia knows." She interrupted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes in disappointment.

"Besides, you'll only encounter street rats out there. It doesn't suit a princess like you."

"Oui! You have no business with commoners Juvia-sama." Sol, another one of Jose's advisors, added.

Her gaze lowered on her plate, her hand clutching on her baggy pants under the table.

"I'm sorry child, but I can't do that." The man said after a moment of silence. "When you get married, I suppose you can go to any place you want with your husband, but as long as _I_ am responsible for your well being, I can't allow myself to risk your safety."

"I understand." The words left her lips in a faint whisper. She had requested the same thing before, but she had hoped things would be different this time. She was almost eighteen, but people still saw in her the fragility of a child. Perhaps they were right and perhaps she was being greedy for asking more than she had.

"It's a relief to know. Now let's enjoy dinner, shall we?"

She barely touched her meal and half an hour later she was back to her room. She walked over to the balcony and rested her elbows on the marble railing, basking in the warmth of the sun. Her gaze followed the rays that casted their light beyond the high walls securing the palace. It was so painfully close, yet it felt so remote. With a long sigh she shifted away but faltered when she caught glimpse of a tree at the end of the garden, crawling its way beside the wall. Her heart leaped in her throat. Maybe…she could sneak a taste of freedom and no one would have to know.

* * *

On the way back to his personal office, Jose grinned to himself. The girl's naivety was so convenient. She had no idea how the world functions, let alone rule a whole city. He was responsible for that, of course, he had raised her this way. Now all he had to do was marry her to an imbecile, and he would keep having as much wealth as he wanted, as much power as he wanted. He was the real ruler, and he had no intention of bestowing this privilege on a girl that only cared about love and rainbows.

"Everything is going according to plan..."

* * *

"Juvia can do it, Juvia can do it…"

She had been this way for quite some time; walking back and forth, stopping to glance up at the wall (which seemed much harder to climb on now), then continue muttering to herself. She would be gone only for a few hours. _But Juvia would be disobeying Master Jose_. No one would notice. _But this is so selfish!_ And then she would do what she had to do. She would be more _reciprocative_, and marry someone she didn't know, or love. Maybe Master was right, and love would come afterwards. And maybe if she did something reckless for once, she would stop yearning for freedom.

She looked up again. _It's just one time, just a few hours, no harm will be done, right?_ Her hand clenched at the hooded cloak she snatched from the servants' wardrobe. Mustering every ounce of determination she had, she started climbing up the tree, careful not to slip. When she got at the top, she tied a knot on the tree's steadiest branch with the improvised rope she had made (she was going to miss those cashmere shawls). The height made her dizzy as she peered down at the empty street. Clasping at the rope tight, she took a deep breath.

And jumped.

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_**AN:** Thanks for reading! I can't guarrantee the most frequent updates since, like I said, I haven't written that far ahead and I'll be having exams to deal with in a couple of months, but I'll try my best to keep a (somewhat) decent updating pace. I'd really appreciate comments, because I've never written an AU before and I don't know where I'm standing and it makes me nervous haha. Like, was it okay or...? Let me know :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN:** Hello everyone! I feel so terrible for taking that long to update. Blame it on exams and confidence crisis, hah... I'll try to be faster *nods eagerly* Anywho, I hope you enjoy. Our lovebirds meet in this chapter xD_

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**chapter 2**

Juvia had thought she had a fair idea of how a city was from her books but it wasn't long before she realized nothing compared to seeing it in the flesh. The bazaar teemed with life, it was mesmerizing. How the people that walked by were so familiar with what was so new and foreign to her, how the houses they lived in were smaller than her chamber. Her eyes moved frantically from one corner to another, taking in at her surroundings and trying to carve every detail in her memory.

She was so absorbed she almost missed a little boy that stood in front of her. He gave her a scared gasp before looking away. Following his gaze, she noticed his eyes were fixed on a loaf of bread. Poor thing was almost drooling, she could see the starvation in his innocent eyes.

"Are you hungry?" she asked softly, lowering to his height. "Here, have this." The boy took the bread from her hands, muttered a hasty thank you and disappeared in a rush. Juvia smiled to herself and shifted to resume her stroll.

"Whaddaya think yer doing there?"

She turned on her foot to see a bulky man glaring down at her. Perhaps it was her impression, but he seemed quite annoyed with something she did but she couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"I…um–"

"Aren't you gonna pay for that?"

Realization struck on her. "I– I don't have money…"

"And you have the nerve to steal from me, you little shit?" It all happened fast, before she could fully register the situation she was in; he yanked at her collar and shoved her on a stand nearby. Her back crashed on the wooden surface, making her lose her balance and fall over. The poorly set shelves above shook at the force, pouring the antique items in display upon her. Heavy objects of all sorts landed on her head –which she was sure they would leave some good swells– while pieces of broken glass scattered around her.

The man seized her wrist, pinning it on the counter and pulled out a long blade. "There's one penalty for thieves, missy."

Her breath hitched in her throat. Was it what she thought it was? She desperately tried to break free but his grip was too strong, making her arm numb.

"No! Please!"

He swung the blade with full force, its sharp edge glowing as it rose in the air.  
She shut her eyes close, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Master Jose was right, he was so right about everything. The world is cruel. She should have never left court.

So much for experiencing the outside world.

There was a swishing sound, but she didn't feel a shred of pain. Was the fear so paralyzing that she couldn't feel? Hesitating, she dared pry an eye open to see –much to her surprise– a new figure standing between them. The hand clamping on her wrist loosened its deathly grip and she flinched as blood rushed through her hand again. Her attention however was gravitated on the two men before her. Her savior seemed of her age, from what she could tell by looking over the arm that extended against the merchant's wrist, lean but sturdy.

"Some nice manners you have there." he said, and Juvia didn't know if she was more surprised by the husky voice, or the fact that his hold was unyielding under the much bigger man's force.

"How I treat thieves is none of your business. Move, kiddo."

"You didn't even let her explain herself." his hold tightened.

"I said, move." The merchant snarled, gritting his teeth.

The young man pushed him away, making him stumble a few steps backwards."So worked up for some bread? Here–" he thrust his hand in his pocked before throwing a fist of coins on the counter. "And do some anger arrangement while you're at it."

Juvia had almost forgotten she was standing there until a hand pulled her away. She didn't spare a single glance behind her, nor did she try to pry away from the secure hold on her hand and before she knew she was out of the current again and finally facing her savior.

"Are you alright?"

"I…" The words lumped in her throat as her gaze wandered lazily over his features. Raven spikes falling effortlessly at each side of his face and over his eyes, their darkness reflecting a blend of worry and something Juvia couldn't describe. There was an unfamiliar tingling in her chest but she chose to blame it on the fact that he was the first stranger to ever show genuine interest.

She then realized she had been silent for more than it would be appropriate.

"Yes." she said finally. "Yes I'm fine."

"Good. That brute was really going to slice your arm off."

The girl shivered at the thought. "I'm grateful you were there…" she paused as she realized she didn't know his name.

"Oh." He offered his hand. "Gray."

Definitely an attractive name.

Just like him.

"Gray…" she tried his name on her tongue as she shook his hand. "Thank you for saving me."

"And you are?"

Juvia hesitated for a moment. Should she just reveal her name? She currently was Agrabah's runaway princess after all. But then, she thought, would anyone recognize it? It was always the Rain Princess. "Juvia."

"Well Juvia, you should be more careful next time. There are many thieves lurking around."

She faltered again. He thought her money had been stolen. She debated whether she should explain herself; he would think she was retarded if she admitted she was so overwhelmed about being to a bazaar that she completely forgot she wasn't carrying any money in the first place. If he didn't already find the intense way she was staring at him as though there was something weird on his face funny enough. "Yes, Juvia will bear that in mind." she laughed shyly, combing her strained hand through her hair to diffuse the nervousness when a sting of pain made her wince.

"Let me take a look." He took her sore wrist in his hands, his fingers rough but careful as they traced the bruised skin with unexpected delicacy. "It's pretty swollen"

She looked away and brushed a stray lock behind her ear, too conscious of the blush forming on her cheeks. "It's not so bad–" the words tumbled in a low hiss when he pressed slightly.

He chuckled. "No need to act tough. It will normally take some days to heal but I know someone that might help." He must have noticed her hesitation –she seemed too well mannered to follow strangers around after all– because he added, "You trust me?"

Biting her lower lip, Juvia nodded. She followed his lead in a narrow alley, dismissing the little voice in her head telling her that her decision had little to do with the pain.

"Here we are." An isolated old building stood at the end of the alley. Gray pulled at the leaf and walked in, nodding her to follow. "Hey, Granny."

"What are you doing here?" a female voice barked from the inside. "I'm pretty sure I've told you brats I hate humans!"

It was a woman about her seventies, wrinkled but vigorous for her age. She had pink hair arranged in a high bun, with two thick strands framing each side of her face.

"She's a bit obnoxious." Gray whispered.

"I can hear you!" she snarled, swinging her broom at him angrily. "Ain't helping you with anything."

"Whoa calm down! It's not for me, it's for…her." Juvia felt his hand leave her arm as soon as it touched her, frustration seeping through her at the loss of contact.

The woman inspected her from head to toe, as though her crimson eyes could bore right into her soul. Despite her stiff demeanor though, Juvia could tell she concealed a kind and caring side underneath that rigid stare.

"Think you have something for bruises and sprains?"

She shifted away to one of her many shelves, grumbling. "First Natsu and his goddamned cat, then you…Why can't you brats leave me rot in my quiet?"

"Oi, don't paint me with the same brush as the flame brain." Gray protested.

"He's loud, you're cocky." Her eyes swiped and array of vials. "They're equally annoying human traits." Juvia had to restrain a snort as he eye-rolled. The old woman then threw a vial at Gray, which he caught with the same unexpected ease he had held strong against that irascible man's force.

A roll of bandage followed, caught by his other hand. "Take this too and get the hell out of my house, ya hear me?"

"Nice to see you too, Porlyusica-baa-san!" he jested as they hurried out of the door, ducking to avoid a glass container that flew over his head and crushed against the wall in pieces.

"Out!"

"Crazy woman!" Gray rasped under his breath once they were out of range. He guided her to the back yard. It was late in the afternoon and the heat of the day had given its place to a soft breeze, but that didn't stop him from taking his vest off as he settled on the bench beside her. Nor her cheeks from burning at the unexpected sight. Her eyes glossed over him as he applied the ointment, lingering on the ripples of his abdomen, the taut chest, the swells on his arms that flexed with every motion. His body was dusted in a sun-kissed shade, a vivid contrast to her alabaster skin. She looked up at his face; his features handsomely knitted in concentration while he wrapped her wrist in a bandage and-

"Here you go." His voice cleared the fog in her thoughts.

"Thank you."

She was considered a stoic and frigid woman, then why was she smiling so much today?

* * *

The sour taste of the incident with the merchant was by far forgotten. The further they strolled into the core of the market the more she was convinced sneaking out was worth it. It was loud, crowded, and it smelled from time to time, but her heart swelled with elation. She stole glances at Gray's direction when he wasn't looking, arms laced on the back of his neck. He had said it was on his way to somewhere, but she was glad he was there anyways.

"Juvia has never been here before" she confessed.

"I can tell."

She didn't expect that answer. "You can?"

You've stopped in 5 different stands." he shrugged. "If anything, your enthusiasm shows you haven't been to a bazaar often.

"Oh." was all she said.

"How come?"

"Well I…" she looked away, it felt impossible to muster a decent excuse while staring at his amused smirk. Her gaze fell on the palace, casting its majesty upon the city. "…I've never left the court since I remember myself."

He raised a brow.

"…Juvia is a servant. I grew up there… Today was the first time I was entrusted with the task of shopping for the kitchen." The lie rolled on her tongue with ease, and a pang of guilt as well.

He made a hint of a snort. "You really did mess up for a first time."

"We'll it wasn't entirely Juvia's fault."

"Won't you be scolded for coming back empty handed?"

She wondered how the people back in court would react if they discovered she had sneaked out. The servants wouldn't give her away. The women in the kitchen really loved her; she would often spend a good deal of her day downstairs, listening to their stories about her parents and learning how to cook. She had become exceptionally good at it, if she was honest, the girls always praised her culinary skills. They knew she felt lonely, so they tried their best to keep her company. Gajeel might have kept it a secret too; he acted tough and he wasn't very generous with words but she knew he cared about her as much as she did. Master and his men though…she'd rather not think about it. "Hopefully not. Besides, our supplies are still plenty."

"Living inside a place all this time though…I'd have quit years ago."

Her lips quirked at the irony. "Juvia would too, if only she could."

She was grateful for the silence that followed, because she really couldn't afford to explain if he delved more on the matter.

"I'm heading this way." he said after a while, pricking her excitement. Reality dawned upon her. It was over. The sun had disappeared, and although it wouldn't be rare for her to spend endless hours in her chamber, the staff would begin to wonder after not seeing her around for so long. "Right. Juvia needs to head back as well." The disappointment eminent in her tone. "Thank you again for saving Juvia."

He brushed beneath his nose, shifting his weight to his other leg. "Yeah…Well, good luck. With everything."

She watched him turn on his foot and walk away. Her heart sank. She'd had a better time than all of the memories she could consider as happy or pleasant in her 17 years combined together. She didn't know whether it was him, or doing things because wanted to and not because she had to was so addictive, but she couldn't let those grains of freedom slip from her hands like the desert's sand.

"Gray?"

He looked over his shoulder.

She fumbled with the sleeve of her cloak. "Would you show Juvia around if she came here again?"

For the first time, she saw him laugh.

"Sure, why not. You'll find me around"

His words earned a broad smile that didn't leave her lips for minutes.

* * *

If there was anything positive about living in court, it would be that it stood above any other building in the city, enormous as it was. She wouldn't be able to find her way back otherwise. She had reached the back of the wall that seemed to separate wealth from poverty –and her from the world– searching in the poorly lit street for the rope she had used earlier, when she heard a scream.

"Let me go." A girl no older than twelve struggled to break free from the man that had pinned her arms on her back, clasping at her wrists tight. One, she realized as she drew closer, she was quite familiar with. Totomaru, the guard's chief and Jose's right hand.

"What's happening?" she revealed herself from the shadows, her voice as loud and severe as she could muster.

"Princess?" The man seemed beyond surprised to see her, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. Even the girl stopped fighting to look at her. "Why are you here, miss Juvia?"

"I asked first, Totomaru-san. What's the matter?"

He didn't reply right away, still in shock. "See, this little thief doesn't admit her crime."

"I didn't steal anything, let me go!"

"And how did you get all these, huh?" he snarled.

Juvia looked at the bag tossed a few feet beside them and its littered content –just some fruits and vegetables.

"I bought them! My mother is sick in bet soI went to get them for her."

"Totomaru-san, please release her."

"What?" he gasped. "I can't do that."

"I believe my word is an order, no?"

The man grumbled something under his breath before he released his hold on the girl. Juvia lowered to her height. "What's your name sweetie?"

"Meredy." she sniffed.

"Well Meredy, you don't need to worry. No one is going to hurt you." She stroked her pink hair. "Take these and go back to your mom, alright? She's probably worried you haven't returned yet."

The kid nodded, wiping the tears on her cheeks with the back of her hand and collected the goods she had purchased. Once she was out of sight, Juvia shot the man a strict stare. People willing enough to cut her arm off was one thing, but someone abusing a child over the mere suspicion of stealing was…outright cruel. This was how her people were treated?

"Are you two having and outdoor party and I didn't know?" a gruff voice asked.

They both snapped at the man that had just arrived. She froze. "Gajeel-kun?"

"Gihii."

* * *

_**AN:** Please do let me know how it's working for you guys. Time to introduce the Genie, isn't it? He's one adorable fella, I tell you. Thanks for reading!_


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